kirkham



G. B. KIRKHAM. D FOR MU IGAL INS No. 60,744. 1 Patente'd Jan. l, 1867 sitet tstzs stmt ffirn.

GEORGE KIRKHAM, OF NEW Y-ORK, N. Y. Lettere Patent No. 60,744, dated January 1, 1867.

KEY-BOARD OF MUSIGAL INSTRUMl TTS.

To ALL `wHoM IT Mar| ooNoERN:

Be it known that I, GEORGE BYRON KIRKHAM, of 167 East Thirty-third street, city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful improvement in Organs, Pianos, `IvIelodeons, tc., which I term' 'a I- Grand Accord';" and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and 'exact description'of the same, sutlicient to enable one skilled in the art to which the invention appertains to make use of it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, whichfform a part of this specification, and in which- Figure B represents an arrangement in which the whole key-board is shiftalile to the right or left.

Figures C and C representiiny special device, and a slightly modified form ih sary change ofposition between the manual keys z and the levers z'.

This improvement, which I term a grand accord, for organs, pianos, melodeons, and other musical instru-v ments with key-boards, is designed to enable the keys to play-on the pipes, wires, or reeds a half or full tone, or more, above or below their original or normal position, at the pleasure of the performer. In smaller organs, pianos, Stc., where other means are impracticable, the whole key-board, or a portion of it, may be shifted to the right or left,;according to circumstances. B represents the entire key-board as movable to the right or left, (the hammers are not shown,)' sliding i n the groove b, and on the rod c, moved rby the arm d and the lever e, which projects through the side and rests in little slots, )f f f, which retain it in psition when it is moved to the I right or left? This arm, d; and lever, e, with lits adjusti' ng screw, g, is used in every case, but is not shown in the other drawings, (merely the pin h on which d fits being represented in the others.) In casesV where it is impossible t'o move the entire key-board, a portion of it, the 'keys, may be shifted to the right or left, as represented at C C the sticks i'z' being cu-t at jj, and metal or wooden bearings, kk'k', resting on the sticks z' i, being used; these levers, k k', being held to a common support, l, by hinges, or pins andgroove. Therefore vocalists have been put to considerable trouble and expense in order to obtain music exactly suited to t 'and musicpublishers, to accommodate them, have usually issued the best pieces -in diiferent tenor, or alto and bass. Transposition has always been a long and expensive process, the most eminent, professors'are able to transpose a diilicult accompaniment at sight; Th' to remedy that detect, and at once places the whole range of music within a vocalistfs compass, s'o that any piece, whether written high or low,'can be sung by every person who has the necessary voice and ability. In all keyboard instruments, and in pianos especially, great difliculty has been experienced in keeping them up to concert pitch, from flatting, wires breaking, &c. This invention vvremedes that, as in an instant the instrument lcan not only be placed at concert pitch, but above it or 'below it, as desired. Again, in operas or other grand musical performances, whcnlit was wished to raise or lower the pitch to -suit the Orchestral instruments, or for other reasons, they were obliged to empl'oy a tuner to raise or lower the piano to the tone that was wanted, but this device will at once fulfill those conditions without extra expense. From the great diversity in key-board instruments, the variety of actions, and in organs especially, where the key-sticksplay through and between each other in the difi'erent banks in 'an yexceedingly complicated and variable manner, together with the the stops on either side, 1t is plain that no simple movement can produce the grand accord difiiculties must be met and overcome in each separate instrument ereof, for efi'ecting the neces- 'nniversal in their adaptation.

Having described my invention, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- '1. I claim the levers k k' in combination with the manual k'eys z z, &c., and their common support Z, acting on the levers :'z', substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. I claim the combination of the arm d, the levere, `with its adjusting screwg and slots f f, as described and for the` purpose set forth.

i GEO. B. KIRKHAM. Witnesses g :Linus L. Envm, Sonos' O. Knox. 

